Why fathers need to pay heed ....before conception!!
FASD, epigenetic, environmentally driven, genetic changes…all terms that sound somewhat dry really.
What do they mean and what’s this it takes two to tango mean?
Let's start with FASD or Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder …can be the outcome for the child that has been exposed to alcohol while in the womb– prenatal alcohol exposure can cause a variety of problems.
Problems including
movement, balance, vision and hearing
learning, such as problems with thinking, concentration, and memory
managing emotions and developing social skills
hyperactivity and impulse control
communication, such as problems with speech
the joints, muscles, bones, and organs, such as the kidneys and heart
These problems are permanent, though early treatment and support can help limit their impact on a child's life.
The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more severe the symptoms tend to be.
Scientists have warned about the risks of drinking alcohol in pregnancy for over 50 years, that a mother's consumption of as little as one drink a week may affect a child's brain development, cognitive function, behaviour, and facial shape.
Research on fertility and reproduction "has been so woman-focused, so maternal centric,
that we've not really done our due diligence on the male side." (Michael Golding).
Guess what, recent research raises an intriguing – and potentially game-changing possibility that has been reported for years now, that male health is important to the health of that growing baby and the legacy of a dad’s behaviour can live on in his child (read more) making the whole thing a responsibility of both parties." Golding. "
"Understanding the role of environmentally driven epigenetic changes (changes that are not determined by our genes) in the offspring constitutes not only a fascinating biological question on its own, but also represents a moral obligation for the health of future generations"(read more).
References:
The role of epigenetics in spermatogenesis
Sezgin Güneş and Tuba Kulaç (read more)
Association Between Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Craniofacial Shape of Children at 12 Months of Age (read more)
Foetal alcohol syndrome: Why fathers need to watch what they drink too. Information in this article has been reproduced from this article.
Teratogenesis and the epigenetic programming of congenital defects: Why paternal exposures matter (read more)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): An update on policy and practice in Australia (read more)
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders- Nature Reviews. (read more)
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